Review – The Occultist #5 (Dark Horse)

Occultist #5 is the final issue of this mini-series from Dark Horse’s rapidly growing Superhero line.

Occultist follows the story of an American college student Rob, who is bestowed by magical powers after finding a special book known as The Sword. The Sword binds itself to Rob, who must now learn to control the book’s unpredictable magic while still attempting to maintain his increasingly erratic life.

Issue #5 opens with a battle for power between Rob and The Sword, with The Sword deliberately removing Rob’s powers at inopportune times; but they quickly regain their companionship as we are greeted by our antagonist for the evening, John Quint. John opens the story up to explain his own misguided history, going all the way back to 1870.

We are introduced to a young John Quint, who makes a living selling fraudulent medicine to the gravely ill. John’s life is turned upside down and is thrown into a situation where he struggles with guilt and faith before turning to the supernatural for help. The second half of the issue makes for a fantastic action piece as Rob and John battle for the power of The Sword, culminating in a swift and satisfying conclusion to the mini-series.

The art in Issue #5 is enjoyable to follow, mixing elements of horror and supernatural beautifully. Artist Mike Norton clearly had fun with this issue and had plenty to play with between the scenes of modern day, 1870’s and the realm of the dead!